The Feeling Is Mutual

It’s no secret that knowing the right people can make it easier to find success. It’s also no secret that it feels good to give a deserving young person a hand up in their career.

With those two things in mind, Longwood has created several professional communities that bring students seeking jobs and internships together with alumni who are seasoned professionals in those fields. Currently active are communities for educators and professionals in the fields of sales, marketing and communication.

John Balser ’15, regional director for One Voice Communications, has found the professional community for sales the perfect way to fulfill his desire to get involved with Longwood.

“Students have been great to work with,” said Balser. “They ask great questions about sales, social media, marketing, types of tools and systems that are used, and more.”

_{John Balser ’15 is active in the professional community for sales. Miranda Farley ’20 has found out about several job opportunities in social media marketing through the communications community.}

Landing a great internship in a future career field is a huge benefit for students. Balser’s employer, a global virtual network operator, is in the process of hiring a Longwood student for an internship—a win for the company and the student.

Miranda Farley ’20, a communication studies major, wants to pursue a career in social media marketing. She interacts with alumni in the communications community via Slack, a free digital messaging platform.

“The communications group has opened my eyes to jobs that I never knew about. I’ve learned that social media marketing in higher education is a field that I would like to explore,” said Farley who connected with Ashley Jones ’12, assistant director for engagement communications in Alumni and Career Services.

“There are so many alumni who care about helping students and want to give back to Longwood in this way,” said Farley. “It is great to have these connections and to learn from people in the field.”

For more information about professional communities and to join, visit longwood.edu/ professionalcommunities.